Typically, when applications executing on a processing device write data to a storage device having a non-volatile medium, the data may not be initially written to the non-volatile medium. Instead, the data may be first written to a buffer or a write cache and then later may be written or flushed to the non-volatile medium, perhaps after a predefined amount of data has accumulated in the buffer or the write cache. As a result of performing frequent data flushes to a non-volatile medium, such as a disk or other non-volatile medium, performance degradation, with respect to the non-volatile medium, may occur. However, if the processing device experiences a sudden power loss, then any data not yet flushed to the non-volatile medium may be lost or corrupted.
Some processing devices may have an uninterruptable power supply, such as a battery, or other type of power supply. Power management software may monitor a level of power remaining in the power supply, may predict a length of time the power supply may provide power to a processing device, and may change behavior of processing device hardware in order to conserve power and extend a life of the power supply.